I have been through a bit of a fruit-tree buying binge and have amongst other things, a half standard Stella cherry on a Colt rootstock.

The patch I have in mind for it is about 5m from the centre of the nearest fruit tree (plums) and 3m from my newly planted native hedge.

I bought it because I had read it was a semi-dwarfing rootstock, but after a bit more of a google prior to planting it today, I have heard anecdotes of it growing to 2m in some cases to anything up to 4.5m in others!

It's not the height so much as the spread I am a bit worried about - if it has a 4.5m spread, my plums and greengages are going to get crowded out.

Can you prune such a cherry to keep it under 2m height and spread? If anyone has a clue, I'd be so grateful!

"A pretty face is fine, but what a farmer needs is a woman who can carry a pig under each arm"

I don't prune cherries, or at least I haven't found the need to prune them.
If it's any help, I have a Stella, but I've no idea what rootstock as I bought it in a garden centre closing down sale, but it is tall, at least 12 feet, but very little spread, just very upright.
On the other hand I have a Sunburst cherry on Pixie rootstock and it is now 5 years old and only about 7 feet tall and 3 feet spread.
There, that's totally confused you

Thanks Tony - maybe yours is a colt too then, as I gather the Pixie don't get beyond 2m.

Glad to hear it is upright anyway - will make it easier to net! Think I am just going to be brave and plant it anyway - it is competing with a native hedge and our soil is a bit horrid so with luck it won't get too huge. If it does, I will learn how to prune it!

Have you had a lot of fruit from the stella?

"A pretty face is fine, but what a farmer needs is a woman who can carry a pig under each arm"

Here's a photo of my Stella, as you can see it's very upright.
It does fruit well, but the birds get most of them as it's far too tall to net. This year looks like it could be a bumper year, providing we don't get cold winds at the critical flowering period.
See second photo for the one or two fruiting spurs